Child's Play: Surprise
by TheFifthSister
Summary: Myka and Pete get delayed on a mission in DC which mean Myka's going to miss celebrating her birthday with HG and Emma. Established Bering & Wells.
1. Chapter 1

"Mykes! Myka!" Pete called as he chased after Myka down the hotel corridor she was storming down. "I'm sorry Myka." He barrelled through the door to her room before she could shut it in his face. "I'm sorry we can't get a flight tonight but we'll get one first thing and you'll be home before you know it. Hey, hey, hey – how about a night on the town to make up for it? My treat!"

Myka sank on to the bed, not saying a word to him, instead taking her cell phone out of her pocket and trying to call Helena.

"Myka, I said I was sorry."

"It's okay Pete. Really. I'm not mad at you. I wish this had gone faster and that you hadn't let the culprit get away. Twice. Or that by the time we'd snagged the artefact the last flight home was fully booked... and why isn't she answering?"

"Okay, that kinda sounds like your mad at me," Pete pointed out.

Myka threw her phone on the bed, frustration radiating from her in waves. "It's not like it's my birthday or anything. Artie could have sent someone else with you but he sent me. He knew and still he sent me."

Pete sat on the bed next to her, aching for the dejected look on his best friends face. "Myka, I'm sorry. I messed up and I'm going to make it up to you. Let me call Claude and see if she can work her magic and you try HG again."

Pete went into the bathroom with the Farnsworth, giving Myka some privacy to call her wife and tell her the bad news. She groaned when it went to voicemail. "Honey, it's me. Me and Pete missed the last flight and I'm not going to be home until tomorrow at some point... can you just call me when you get this? I really just want to hear your voice." She hung up, flopping on to her back, glaring at the ceiling for the turn of events. She was used to last minute travel alterations but it was her birthday and she wanted to be at home with her family.

Pete came out of the bathroom, a grim look on his face which Myka knew to mean even Claudia couldn't help. She returned her glare to the ceiling above her, a growl escaping from her chest.

"Come on Myka, let me take you out for dinner. I promise I will be on my best behaviour and tomorrow we'll get home as quick as we can and you'll still get to spend your birthday with your girls."

Myka sighed. "You all got your birthdays off and I'm gonna wake up tomorrow here, without Helena or Emma. Just... alone."

Pete joined her on the bed, laying down beside here. "Well, I've always said I'd do anything for you Myka... if you can keep HG from killing me. Damn, your wife is scary."

Myka made a face at him, finding the idea of waking up to Pete a much scarier prospect than what HG would do to him afterwards. Pete was just relieved to see a smile on her face again.

"I was looking forward to waking up with Helena," Myka told him. "You know I've never made a big deal out of my birthday but she does. Emma comes and gets in bed with us and we stay their all morning, breakfast in bed, we open presents, watch a movie and it's nice to be spoiled just a little... I know it sounds hokey but it's nice to just be a normal mom, you know?"

"Myka..."

"It's not your fault Pete," Myka interrupted. "These things happens. Artie's law of artefact retrieval, right? Or just my luck." She rolled off the bed to her feet, straightening her clothes out. "Come on partner, I believe you said dinner was on you."

Pete hopped up, patting his stomach, a grin spreading across his face at the thought of food.

"That it is."

They left Myka's room, walking down the corridor to the lift. As the door open Myka decided to tease him a little. "So, I'm feeling like lobster tonight..."


	2. Chapter 2

Myka had tried to call Helena a few more times before getting some sleep, to no avail. She'd eventually drifted into a fitful sleep, tense and upset about the turn of events, so when knocking on the door roused her from sleep she was less than a ray of sunshine. She glared at the clock on the bedside table that read 7am, knowing that they couldn't get a flight until 10am and weren't leaving the hotel for another two hours yet.

"Pete, just leave me a little longer," she grumbled as she pulled the covers up over her head.

The knock came again. She pulled the cover down, glaring at the door now. "Pete, come back in an hour after I've at least had a chance to shower," she called, rolling over and closing her eyes again. She wasn't ready to face spending her birthday without her wife and daughter just yet.

"Room service," a voice called through the door. Myka's eyes shot open when she heard that British lilt. She flew from the bed, almost tripping over her own feet as she flung the door open. Leaning in the door way was a very smug looking Helena and very happy looking Emma was stood next to her. She pushed past and threw herself at Myka, wrapping her arms around her waist.

"Surprise!" she shouted, looking up at her mother and thrusting a balloon that read 'happy birthday' to her.

"You're here," Myka was shocked. She scooped Emma up into her arms, overjoyed and amazed. She rubbed noses with her daughter, smiling uncontrollably and not quite able to believe her eyes, turning a huge smile towards her wife, reaching out a hand to pull her to her into the room and closing the door. "I can't believe you're here. Why… how are you here?"

"We thought we'd bring the birthday girl breakfast in bed." Helena held up the tray from Starbucks she had in her hand and paper bag in the other. "Happy birthday darling."

Emma wrapped her arms around her neck as Myka balanced her against one hip, pulling Helena in for a kiss. "I'm so happy you're here," she whispered as they broke apart. Helena walked across the room, eyeing the covers half strewn across the bed and flashing Myka a smirk as she put the drinks on the bedside table, taking off her bag and coat as Myka threw Emma into the middle of the bed, making her giggle. She wrapped her arms around her wife. "You are amazing."

"A fact of which I'm happy to remind you of frequently," Helena teased. "Now, back into bed. We've got pastries to eat."

Myka climbed back into the bed, pulling the covers back up over her and Emma, smiling when her daughter crawled into her lap and flopped back against her. She wrapped an arm around her little waist and leaned her cheek against her head, smiling at Helena as she was handed a cup of coffee and Emma took a juice box from her.

"Did you plan this? Me and Pete getting stuck out here?" Myka questioned her. "Do you know how bad I felt when I thought I wasn't going to see you both until tonight?"

Helena slid into the bed next to her. "We didn't so much plan it as adapt to the situation," she confessed. "Pete was afraid you weren't going to make it home and so I simply decided that we'd spend your birthday here instead. We got the earliest flight out that I could get. I'm sorry Myka. There was only a minimal amount of deceit on his part."

"I like flying," Emma added. "We were above the clouds Mama. But it hurt my ears and I didn't like that bit."

"I tried to get her to sleep but she was having far too much fun on our little adventure," Helena sighed. "She'll probably need a nap later."

Helena riffled in the paper bag she'd bought, pulling out a croissant and holding it out to Myka for her to take a bite. She took a bite herself and broke off a piece for Emma, who immediately shoved it into her mouth making happy sounds. Myka smiled. Things were suddenly perfect. She was sandwiched between her wife and her daughter, being fed breakfast and it was magical. She snuggled into Helena as she wrapped an arm around her shoulder, balancing her tea in her lap and continuing to feed Myka bites of the many croissants she'd bought for breakfast and listening to Emma babble about the flight.

"Mummy, can I give Mama her present?" Emma begged, bouncing in Myka's lap.

"Yes, you may." Helena took Myka's coffee out of her hand, placing on the bedside table with her tea and bent down to get it out of her bag. Emma jumped off the bed, rifling through the bag before Helena had a chance to.

Myka watched her with amusement, ever the bull at a gate, as Helena playfully batted her hands out of the way. She looked up at Myka and rolled her eyes but let Emma get her gift out and then she was climbing back on to the bed and sitting next to her mother, holding it out to her. "Happy birthday Mama!"

"Thank you baby girl," Myka took it from her, placing it on the bed in front of them. "I think you're going to have to help me unwrap this." Emma gladly helped Myka tear the paper from the present, revealing a gift box. "What's this then?" Myka lifted the box and gasped. "Oh, Ems, this is lovely." She squeezed her daughter, lifting out the photo frame that lay inside the box. Inside it was a black and white photo of the three of them, Emma's smiling face in the middle with Myka kissing one cheek and Helena kissing the other. She'd taken it on her cell a few weeks ago when they'd had a picnic in the woods.

"Do you like it mama?" Emma asked, looking at her with big round eyes waiting expectantly. "I made it!" Myka took in the frame. It was decorated in glitter and paper flowers and it said 'love you' along the bottom in glitter which she recognised as Helena's handiwork but new the glitter was all Emma.

"You did?" Myka put it on the bed and pulled Emma into her arms. "I love it. It's beautiful. Best present ever Ems." She rubbed noses with her. "Thank you."

"Mummy helped." Emma told her, throwing her arms around her neck as they both looked at Helena.

"She did, huh? Thank you Mummy," Myka smiled at her wife. "I love you both so much. I'm so happy you're here." Myka leaned over to kiss her wife, Emma crawled off her lap to sit between them as she pulled another croissant out of the bag, pulling bits off for her mothers and stuffing the rest in her mouth. Myka cuddled into Helena's arms and listened to Emma tell her all about how they made the frame and how the glitter was fun, the glue was sticky and how Mummy had told her it was a surprise and she wasn't allowed to tell anybody.

Myka exchanged looks with Helena as their daughter babbled on and stole kisses here and there. "So, this was the most recent secret project?"

"Yes," Helena nodded, sipping on her tea. "We wanted to give you something special."

"I love it," Myka looked at the picture again. "I love this photo. It's my favourite one of us all."

"I know. I have one for your Farnsworth too. Remind me when we get home."

"…and then I glued it to my hand and Mummy got worried and mad." Helena cringed when that part of the story reached Myka's ears.

"Which is why Emma no longer uses the glue until she's older." Helena told her wife before she was yelled at.

Myka laughed at her reaction. "Sounds like my two inventors worked hard for me. Thank you."


	3. Chapter 3

Sometime later Pete stopped by to wish Myka a happy birthday and say his goodbyes before heading back to the Warehouse with the artefact. Myka had insisted that he stay but he'd left the Bering-Well's to some family fun and promised he'd attempt to save them some birthday cake when he saw them tomorrow.

After a quick phone call to her parents Myka's request for the day had been to visit some of the museums. It had been a while since she'd taken Helena and they'd never taken Emma to a museum like the ones here and she was excited to share it with her little girl.

They'd walked around the Natural History Museum; Emma exciting pulling Myka along and Myka in turn pulling Helena along. They both answered the multitude of questions their daughter had, Myka tackling some of the items in the museum that were a little more modern and teaching both of her girls. They'd taken Emma to see the butterflies and insects and spent quite a while pointing out which ones they could find in their garden at home, something she liked to do with Helena was look at the bugs with their magnifying glasses. Myka had gotten out of having to set foot anywhere near the sea creatures, not wanting to risk running into anything tentacled and had found a nice place to sit while Helena took Emma to see that particular section. Myka had particularly enjoyed seeing all the stuffed animals. Emma had cooed and squealed and clapped and some of the other people in the exhibit had complimented her and Helena on how adorable and smart there little girls was.

She was still laughing at what had happened in the dinosaur section though. They'd been stood in front of a t-rex, Emma holding Helena's hand and looking up at the skeletons. Myka was telling her about them with Helena's help when a serious look came over their daughters face.

"Mummy, are you older than Mama?" she asked. Helena had flicked her gaze at her wife before answering yes. "Are you older than the dinosaurs?" Myka had tried not to laugh at the question or the look of shock on Helena's face. "Uncie Pete said you were old."

If it had been physically possible she would have sworn she saw steam come out of her wife's ears. "Well, sweetheart, your Uncle Pete is a deadman." Helena replied.

"Helena!" Myka swatted her on the arm. "Don't tell her things like that. No sweetheart, Mummy isn't much older than me. Only a couple of years. These are really really really old."

Eventually she had talked Helena down from physically hurting her best friend but she knew her wife well and knew she would find a way to get even with him.

Now she was sitting at a table in the window of her favourite bistro, one that she'd come to frequently when she was still with the Secret Service and DC had been home to her. She was happy to see it was still open and still ran by a lovely older couple.

Helena had taken Emma to the restroom after they'd finished eating and they were taking longer than usual. She knew they were up to something but she was content to leave them to their fun.

She sat watching the world outside the window, thinking about how much she'd changed since the last time she'd been here. Univille was now her home. She was happily married, a proud mother and had a family and a job she loved. Only one of those things could she have ever imagined for herself before the Warehouse. She'd been a dedicated Agent whose biggest concerns were doing her job well and making her parents proud.

She was broken from her thoughts by a plate being placed on the table in front of her. On it sat three chocolate coated cupcakes, one with a lit candle sticking out of it. Next to her appeared a grinning Emma and she felt Helena's arms slip around her as the two of them sang 'happy birthday'. She leaned back in her chair, looking up at the woman behind her, kissing her before pulling Emma to sit on her lap.

"Are you going to help me blow this out?" On the count of three the two of them blew out the candle and Helena took a seat across from them pulling the candle out, taking one of the cupcakes for herself and leaving the other two for Myka and Emma.

"Don't forget your wish, darling." Helena reminded her, taking the case from her cupcake and taking a bite.

Myka looked at her, cuddling Emma in her lap and helping her to get the case off of her cupcake so she could eat it and then took her own. "I have you two."Myka placed a kiss on top of her daughters head. "What more could I possibly need?"

"I picked these Mama," Emma told her excitedly. "Mummy helped."

Myka laughed. "Thank you. Both of you." She took a bite of her cupcake, so very happy that her birthday had turned out the way it had. She knew she was very lucky to have someone like Helena who wanted nothing more than to make her and Emma happy. She was right, what more did she need?

Cupcakes eaten, Emma started to yawn and her fingers played with strands of her hair, wrapping them around her finger as she turned into Myka's side and rested her head against her mother.

"I think someone's tired Mummy," Myka said, checking her wristwatch and thinking it was a good time to head back to the hotel.

"I'm surprised she last this long. A day filled with excitement, we'll all sleep well tonight. Shall we get you to bed young lady?"

Myka stood, picking Emma up and cradling her against her, balancing her weight on her hip. Emma immediately wrapped her arms and legs around her mother, burying her head in the crook of her neck.

"I've got her if you can get the bags honey," Myka said, nodding towards the souvenirs they'd picked up during the day.

By the time they got back to their hotel room Emma was snoring in Myka's arms. She set her down on the bed and Helena got her out of her coat while Myka got her out of her sneakers, happy to just let her sleep instead of trying to risk slipping her into some pyjamas. Myka pulled the covers up over her, kissing her gently on her forehead.

"Good night my sweet baby girl," She whispered. "Sweet dreams."

She turned to her wife, slipping her arms around Helena's waist and pulling her close. She closed the distance between their lips.

"Thank you for a lovely day my love," Myka stroked a finger along Helena's jaw, pulling her back for another kiss.

"Happy birthday darling," Helena whispered when they broke apart. "Can I interest you in a bath before we join Emma?"

Myka kissed her again, pulling her towards the bathroom.


End file.
